Frostfall - A HTTYD Fic
by blueaegiswriter
Summary: In the years after Hiccup taught the vikings of Berk how to train dragons, the island is at peace as everyone trains dragons of their own. All except one young woman... Will she be able to train a dragon before the next storm falls?
1. Frostfall

Note: This story occurs just after Dreamworks Dragons: Riders of Berk (Season One), spoilers for HTTYD 1, The Gift of the Nightfury, and Riders of Berk

This is Berk. Just South of desolate tundra and North of relentless sea storms. It's a pretty solid place surrounded by cliffs and all manner of jagged rocks. We used to have a huge problem with the dragons. Many of the vikings in our village were once trained and tasked to eradicate the dragon menace, my father among them...

But now that we have made friends with the dragons, life is getting better. At least, for anyone who actually has one.

Oh? What's that? Everybody has a dragon? But what if I told you… not everyone has one. Well, everyone meaning… me.

Today was a day of preparation. Everybody on Berk gathered around the main square, going back and forth, here and there, preparing for Snoggletog. A tall vast man with a massive beard came striding around the village, watching and nodding at the preparations. Stoick the Vast was this man's name. He went around with his big blue Thunderdrum, Thornado, who also gazed around with his serious eyes. They liked what he saw so far. The vikings and the dragons appeared in good cheer as they set up bright decorations all around.

"Stoick! Stoick!" called out a voice

Stoick turned to find Gobber the Belch limping up to him. He was holding a horrible looking wreath with antlers in left hand and a moldy orange hat in his hook hand.

"What do you think of these beauties? I found them while I was digging around for my hammer. Do you think it looks festive?" he asked grinning and showing off his fake iron tooth.

Stock gave a glance at Thornado who gave a slight wince.

"Well uh… I guess they…"

A sudden flap of wings and gust of air stopped him in mid sentence. He sighed in relief as a black dragon and a blue dragon landed and their riders dismounted. Hiccup and Astrid easily dismounted off of their dragons and looked around.

"Wow dad, things are looking really good around here." said Hiccup, coming up to his father.

"Looks like this Snoggletog will be even better than ever! I'm going to go help out." said Astrid, as she went off with Stormfly to help put up decorations.

Stoick nodded and gave a contented sigh. He was happy to have a breath of air as Alvin seemed to have stopped his attacks for the winter. After Hiccup had told him about how Mildew was left on Outcast Island, the chief was unable to send out riders for fear of attack from the Outcasts. But Stoick knew, the old man was a stubborn one.

As Hiccup was about to run off and help out, his father planted a huge hand on his shoulder.

"Son, are the dragon stables ready yet?" he asked

"Ready as they'll ever be dad. I just hope the dragons are going to be able to return to Berk." Hiccup said worriedly.

Ever since they found out the dragons migrated during this time to mate, the vikings decided to build stables to house the baby dragons. Last year, they ran out of room and they had to scrounge around to find space for them to stay warm throughout the winter.

"I just hope they won't burn them down." said Gobber

"Uh, what are those, Gobber?" asked Hiccup looking at the things he was holding.

"Oh these! These are hats I found at my forge. Festive aren't they!"

Gobber put on the orange one. Hiccup and Toothless looked away while Stoick and Thornado looked uncomfortable.

"Ugh, that's going to cause some nightmares…" Hiccup groaned.

While the preparations were going on at the square, the vikings living at the edge of town were also preparing. A young woman, who looked around the age of 18 was carrying a bundle of wood over to the wood pile. She has brown-black hair which she kept loose but with a few braids here and there. Her tunic is a forest green with a thick furry coat over to keep warm. A thick scarf wrapped around her neck to keep away the cold. The thick boots she wore crunched in the snow. She had a slight figure, but she had icy blue eyes that were a sharp color, like a hawk's. But her eyes were actually soft and gentle, despite their strong color.

As she piled on the wood, her two younger twin brothers: Jorgen and Christoph ran around chasing around the family's Terrible Terrors. Her mother was in the distance, picking the last of the potatoes she planted earlier in the year. A tall, green spotted Hideous Zippleback was helping her by pulling out the potatoes she missed. The Terrible Terrors: Stripe, StumpyClaw, and BlueTail and the Hideous Zippleback: Flash and Flare were the family's work dragons.

"Lucia!" shouted the mother.

"Coming!" the young woman shouted back.

She dropped off the last of the wood and ran to her mother. Her mother rose up from her work, groaning and slowly stretching her back. Flash carefully laid his head nearby so she could use him as an armrest.

"Thank you, Flash. Lucia can you go round up the yaks for me? I need to go prepare supper and clean up your brothers." she asked.

Lucia saw her mother's tired eyes and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Of course mum. I'll do it right away."

Her mother smiled and went to the two boys with Flash and Flare following her.

"Stripe, Stumpy, Blue!" Lucia shouted.

The Terrors turned to her and quickly flew to her side. The two boys cried and tried to follow, but the Zippleback took out his tail and blocked them. As the boys were about to climb over, the heads shot out and grabbed the wailing boys, one boy per head. They went inside the house.

Lucia strode out to the fields where the yaks were out grazing. She remembered distant memories of how her father used to herd the yaks himself and how difficult it was for him. Lucia sighed. She had always figured that was one of the reasons why he decided to become a dragon slayer.

The Terrors looked at Lucia patiently, waiting for orders. Her mother had trained the dragons well and the dragons respected her and her family. Lucia knew her mother was more of a pacifist anyways and killing dragons did not suit her.

"Ok you guys. Let's get working."

The Terrors fanned out and began circling the yaks, but making sure they did not see them. Blue was the lead Terror and was the one who was closest to the largest yak in the group: Big Boss. Boss was the largest yak and the ones the others tended to follow. It was up to Blue to convince the big guy to move. Lucia gave the signal: a short whistle, and the dragons went off. The dragons listened, hearing her whistles and creeping around, darting here, and hissing there. The yaks, seeing the Terrors, slowly began to lumber back home. But Big Boss stood his ground, looking at Blue with his watery angry eyes. Lucia saw this and gave Blue two short whistles. Blue hissed and spread his wings, trying to intimidate Boss. The yak however was stubborn that day and stood his ground. But Blue sent out a small jet of flame at the yak's face. Boss was officially cowed and backed down, returning to the barn. The Terrors continued until the yaks were in and Lucia locked the barn.

"Good job you guys. I think you're doing better than ever!" said Lucia with a smile.

She went over to the side of the barn and threw them a fish each. The Terrors gobbled them up eagerly and followed Lucia back home.

"Back so soon?" said her mother in amazement as Lucia and the dragons went in.

"Oh it wasn't so bad. The dragons helped me out." said Lucia as she poured herself a cup of yak milk.

"The dragons?" asked her mother, putting down her spoon.

She was making a thick stew for supper, knowing the family would benefit from a warm meal. Flash and Flare were snoozing by the hearth but always alert should Lucia's mother need help. The Terrors went off upstairs where they liked to sleep with the napping boys.

"Yeah. You know how you trained them to obey whistles right? Well, I just use them to show them how to herd the yaks, that's all." said Lucia.

She sat down and sipped her milk while her mother gave her an astonished look.

"My goodness Lucia. I never thought you could train them to do that." said her mother.

"I didn't really train them, mum. You did. Just like how you trained Flash and Flare." Lucia shrugged

After her milk, Lucia went outside to collect more firewood. Her mother looked outside and watched her daughter with sad eyes. She was worried about Lucia. Ever since her husband left for war and disappeared on a raiding party, Lucia had to take up more responsibilities than ever. While she was having the boys, Lucia was the one who ran around the house doing things that needed to be done. After she had the boys, her back became more painful than ever. Gothi had told her (through Gobber) to take it easy and warned her about reopening the wound that was gouged down her spine. But this meant that Lucia had to stay at home and care for the boys and her mother. Because of this, Lucia never really had any free time to herself.

Much to her relief, Hiccup showed them how to train dragons. He had come over to their house personally and helped them train the Zippleback and Terrors to help them out. She glanced over to Flash and Flare who had woken up and looked at her with concerned eyes. It was amazing how the Zippleback responded to her. The dragon was originally rowdy and the two heads fought constantly. But when they saw the mother and her predicament, the heads got together and decided to help her out. When they were training the Terrors, she discovered her aptitude for training dragons. The Terrors responded to her well and she had the time to train them with whistles.

Lucia came back an hour later with the wood pile full. She shrugged off her coat and helped herself a bowl of stew. The boys were playing around with the Terrors upstairs, their laughter ringing throughout the house. Lucia sat down and found a note:

" _Going to deliver some yak milk._ "

Her mother walked down to town with several buckets of yak milk in her cart. She had Flash and Flare hitched up to the cart to help her move it along. As she delivered the milk, the vikings gave her bright smiles and wished her a happy Snoggletog. Some were even kind enough to give her some small treats of sugar sticks and toys for the children. She went up to the chief's house and banged on the door. No one answered, so she left the last bucket at the door.

She went back to the square and found Stoick directing two vikings on how to hang up a banner.

"A little to the right… no no your left… there, that's it… perfect!" said Stoick

"Chief? May I have a word." she asked

Stoick turned and faced her. He gave her a warm smile.

"Ah Freda, I haven't seen you all day. How are the boys?" he asked

"Good, Chief. They are getting bigger every day."

Stoick clapped hands together.

"So, what did you need me for?" he asked.

"Well… This is more of a request more than anything." she mumbled.

"Go on."

"It's about Lucia."

Stoick nodded, seeing the worry in Freda's eyes.

"I feel like I haven't given Lucia enough freedom to do what she wants. All day she just works with me on the farm. The boys are getting older so it's getting easier to take care of them. But I want Lucia to go out there into the world, not be stuck on the farm forever."

"I see. Hiccup is the same. I can that restlessness in his eyes, that drive to go out there. If there is anything you think Lucia needs, I can help you Freda. It is the least I can do."

"You see, I want Lucia to join the Dragon Academy."

Stoick stroked his beard and considered this.

"Are you sure Freda? Is she even willing to train dragons? I'm sure Hiccup will be willing to accept her, but she has to be ready herself. Training dragons isn't for everyone and joining the Academy means that she needs to be ready to patrol at any time." warned Stoick.

"But… I want Lucia to experience training a dragon for once. She never really had the chance. I was able to train Flash and Flare, but that was because Hiccup helped me."

"Well from what Hiccup told me, you did it pretty much on your own. And I know you trained your Terrors pretty well too, and by yourself. I'm just not sure about Lucia. I've never seen her around dragons, so I cannot tell."

"She trained the Terrors to help her herd yaks using whistle commands."

Stoick widened his eyes in surprise.

"She did? Well, that's very impressive! I don't think Hiccup has done that yet."

Stoick stroked his beard and nodded. He looked around and found his son walking down the path with Toothless by his side.

"Hiccup! Come over here please."

Hiccup came over with Toothless following.

"Yeah Dad? I just finished checking the fish stocks. We look pretty good for the winter. I don't think we need to worry about food this year."

"Good job son. Do you remember Freda here?" Stoick asked

Hiccup looked at the woman and nodded, shaking her hand.

"Hello. How are the dragons?" Hiccup asked.

"A big help, Hiccup. Thank you so much." she said gratefully.

"Well now, Hiccup. Do you think you can let Freda's daughter Lucia join the Academy?" Stoick asked.

Hiccup glanced at Toothless who gave him a purr and a blank look.

"Uh Lucia? Well you know we only accept people who are a bit older…" Hiccup began.

"Ah but Lucia is older than you kids. She's 18?" Stoick asked.

"19. She just turned 19 a few weeks ago." said her mother.

Hiccup looked surprised.

"Huh, I didn't know that. I don't really see her much then."

Freda looked uncomfortable and Stoick cleared his throat.

"Well then, can she join?" he asked.

Hiccup shrugged.

"Yeah sure. We don't mind new members. We are having a meeting tomorrow, she can meet us there. Does she have a dragon?" Hiccup asked.

"Uh no. I was wondering if you can help her. She's worked with dragons before, so she's comfortable around them." said Freda.

"Uh sure. No problem. I'll get some of the wild dragons around here and show them to her." said Hiccup.

Freda returned home after finishing her rounds. She was tired and felt achy and creaky all over. When she entered, the house was unusually quiet and hushed. The hearth glowed with dim crackling flames, keeping the house warm. Lucia was sleeping on a chair nearby the hearth, her head being supported by her arm. Freda quietly crept past Lucia, but a creaky floorboard woke her. Lucia gasped and woke up with a jolt. She sighed with relief when she saw it was her mother.

"Did you deliver all of the milk, mum?" she asked, yawning.

"Yes, I did. Everyone was happy to get their milk. There are some treats for you and the boys." said her mother, putting a sack on the dinner table.

Lucia smiled and got out of the chair, planning to head upstairs to sleep.

"Wait a minute, Lucia." her mother called.

Lucia stopped part of the way up the stairs and looked at her. Her mother beckoned her to come down and she went back to her seat in front of the hearth. Her mother slowly eased herself into a large armchair that once belonged to her father. Sighing, she rubbed her back and leaned back on the chair.

"I spoke to Stoick and Hiccup today." she started.

Lucia said nothing. But she was a bit worried and began to think back on the day, wondering if she did something wrong.

"I asked Hiccup about letting you into the Dragon Academy." her mother continued.

She turned to see Lucia's surprised face.

"Th… the Academy?" stammered Lucia, her eyes wide.

"Yes. I really want you to have a chance to train a dragon of your own. Hiccup is going to prepare several dragons for you tomorrow to train. Hopefully you can find a dragon you can bond with."

Her mother gave her a warm smile. But when she looked at Lucia, worried came into her eyes. Somehow, Lucia did not look too happy.

"But.. mum, what about the boys, and the house? I can't just leave you."

Her mother widened her eyes. The worry in Lucia's eyes nearly broke her heart. She got up and went to Lucia, giving her a tight hug. Lucia blinked in surprise and gently hugged her mother back.

"Don't worry about me, Lucia. I don't want you to be stuck in the house all the time. I want to take care of you too."

She let go and saw Lucia's damp but tear-less eyes. Lucia was trying to be supportive and gave her mother a comforting smile.

"Alright mum. I'll go."

Secretly, Lucia had wanted to join the Academy for a while. She had watched enviously at the Riders every time they went out on patrol. What made her even more interested was how the Riders were able to defend Berk against Alvin the Terrible. A longing to ride atop a dragon nagged at her ever since Hiccup began showing the vikings how to train them. She just didn't have time...

Her mother smiled from ear to ear and felt her eyes go damp as well. Turning rather roughly to hide her eyes, her mother carefully stepped over Flash and Flare, who were napping next to the warm hearth.

"Go on to bed, Lucia. You have a big day tomorrow." her mother smiled.

The next day, Lucia got dressed and went downstairs to get ready for the day. She woke up a bit later than usual since her mother had forbade her brothers from jumping into her bed to wake her up. As she went downstairs, she heard the boys and the Terrors playing in the garden. She went into the kitchen to find her mother preparing a basket.

"What are you doing mum?" she asked.

Her mother continued preparing the basket, placing a wooden model of a ship and a wood carving of a dragon in the basket.

"This is for your father. I'm going to visit his memorial the day after tomorrow, so I'm preparing the offerings." she said curtly.

She went over to a box and took out a bit of flint and steel for a fire. She also placed some kindling into the basket. Lucia knew that her mother was going to burn these items at her father's grave. The grave site was rather remote as it overlooked the shore from which Freda watched his boat leave. It was a simple stone, carved with the family crest which consisted of two spears crossed in front of a dragon. But after the peace treaty with the dragons, the crest was changed a bit for the dragon to stand in front of the spears, instead of being impaled by them. Lucia had only been there a few times and often left her mother there for her privacy. She knew how painful her father's death had been to her mother. Even today, after almost 7 years gone at sea, her mother still clung on to the idea that her father was still out there. She had refused to call the stone a grave, and stubbornly continued to call it a memorial.

"I hope the weather won't be bad when you go, mum."

Her mother gave her a reassured smile.

"I'll be bringing Flash and Flare with me, so we should be fine."

She stood back and pondered what else she needed. But as she rubbed her chin in thought, her hand brushed against the amulet around her neck. She took it off and looked at it. It was carved with the family crest upon it. Considering it carefully, she took it off. Turning to Lucia with a soft smile, she placed it over Lucia's head. Lucia blinked and took the crest in her hands and admired it.

"This was your father's. I hope it will bring you luck." her mother smiled.

Lucia nodded and held the amulet, feeling its warmth.

Lucia went into the main square and walked over to the Academy. The other vikings were surprised to see her as she rarely left the house. But Lucia's steps were hesitant and nervous. She was not worried about training; she was worried about her mother, despite her mother's reassurances. As she went, Stoick happened to see her walk by. He gave a small smile as he saw how much she had grown. He remembered her when she first began dragon training. She had rushed her training as she was so busy with her mother. But he told her to stay back when they went hunting for the Dragon's Nest, knowing that she was too young. Even then, she was reluctant to spill any blood. But he knew she was good with a sharp spear.

Lucia went to the Academy and walked inside. There she found the Riders hanging around with their dragons.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm booorrreed!" complained Snotlout.

He was leaning against Hookfang who was snoozing in the corner.

"Yeah Hiccup, why did you call for a meeting when there's nothing to do. We're pretty much done with the Snoggletog decorations." asked Tuffnut.

"We could bang our heads together and make bell sounds!" said Ruffnut

He aimed his helmet and banged his against Tuffnut's.

"Ow! Take that you doofus!" shouted Ruffnut.

The two wrestled each other to the ground, while Barf and Belch watched on in confusion. Eventually, even the two heads began snapping at each other.

"Well, what are we doing Hiccup?" asked Astrid

She was petting Stormfly, who was cleaning her wings.

"Guys, guys. Please. She should be coming in a little bit." said Hiccup, trying to control everyone.

"Ooh I'm so excited! A new member for the Academy! I can't wait to see which dragon she chooses, Meatlug." said Fishlegs, who was scrubbing Meatlug's back.

Meatlug looked excited as well and licked Fishlegs affectionately.

Lucia stepped into the Academy and looked around. She was in awe at how much the ring had changed. The last time she was there it was a killing ring for dragons. Now, there was not much of a difference, but the area was much cleaner than before.

"Hiccup?" she asked.

The Riders turned towards her and watched her awkwardly walk in.

"Who's that?" whispered Tuffnut to Ruffnut.

"Ah, Lucia! You came." said Hiccup.

Hiccup and Astrid walked up to her to welcome her to the Academy.

"Well, this is the Academy. What do you think?" asked Hiccup.

"It's less bloody, and much cleaner than the last time I was here." Lucia admitted sheepishly.

Hiccup and Astrid took her around the Academy, showing her where their supplies were being kept and the cages for the dragons.

"We only use them when we have wild dragons that haven't been trained or when they need a timeout." explained Hiccup.

Inside the cages were one dragon of each kind commonly found on Berk. A Gronckle, a Deadly Nadder, a Hideous Zippleback, and a Monstrous Nightmare were separated into separate cages, appearing rather nervous and anxious.

"And, here are the dragons. Do you think you can train them, Lucia?" asked Astrid.

Lucia swallowed hard but nodded.

"I hope so." she mumbled.

Astrid looked skeptical, but Hiccup saw the strength in Lucia's eyes and nodded to Astrid.

"I think she can train them. What do you think Toothless?"

Toothless gave a confident growl and purred. His eyes were round and shining, inspiring confidence in Lucia.

Hiccup cleared out the field. Telling Snotlout and the twins to move out of the way took a bit of time, but they moved to the upper seats to watch.

"Hey hey, guys. How long do you think she will last with the Monstrous Nightmare? I'm betting two seconds!" said Tuffnut, receiving a death glare from Astrid.

"Ptth! As if she can handle a hundred pounds of pure raw muscle. The Nightmare's too hard for a novice to train. Hiccup should let her train something easy, like a Gronkle." bragged Snotlout, "Only a professional dragon trainer should handle a Nightmare, like me."

"It's ok girl, just ignore the snotty bully up there." said Fishlegs who was sitting below Snotlout and petting Meatlug.

"Whatever Fishlegs." huffed Snotlout.

But Snotlout leaned too far into Hookfang's back, causing the Nightmare to snap at him and bite his torso.

"Ow. Hookfang let me go!" Snotlout shouted.

But the Nightmare ignored him and proceeded to fly off with him in his mouth.

"Well, there he goes." said Astrid, who was sitting next to Stormfly.

"And good riddance." sighed Fishlegs.

Meanwhile, Hiccup was preparing Lucia down in the field. He had opened the cage to the Gronckle and was coaxing the dragon out.

"There you go, that's it." said Hiccup with a soft voice.

The Gronckle stepped out, looking a bit confused and anxious as it looked at Hiccup.

"Ok, now you try." said Hiccup, moving a bit for Lucia to approach the dragon.

Lucia swallowed and slowly stepped up to the dragon. She looked at the dragon's worried eyes. She did not want to scare the dragon, so she slowly reached out with a hand.

"I.. Its ok. I'm not going to hurt you." she said, trying to sound like Hiccup.

Edging forward, she found herself within touching distance of the Gronckle. Then, she gently reached out and petted the Gronkle.

"That's it. That's it." she whispered, petting the Gronkle's rough nose.

The Gronckle gave a contented growl and gave her a friendly lick. Hiccup smiled as Lucia began caressing the dragon and the dragon gave no indication of fear or retaliation.

"Good job Lucia! I didn't think you would do it in one go!"

Lucia smiled and continued petting the Gronckle, who enjoyed the treatment. But after about a few more pats, the Gronckle decided to move on and began wandering around the field, looking for a snack. Lucia sighed and went over to the cage where the Gronckle was kept. She lured it with a fish and closed it back into the cage, where it chomped up the treat.

"What are you doing Lucia?" asked Hiccup in surprise.

"He's not the one for me." shrugged Lucia. "We… didn't connect."

For the rest of the day, they tried out the other dragons. Next they tried the Nadder and then the Zippleback, but the results were pretty much the same. She managed to train them with ease, but they were not interested in her. The Nadder started preening its wings while the Zippleback became distracted with some shiny shields that lay nearby. Lucia, on the other hand, looked distracted by something else, which worried Hiccup.

"Do you want to try the next dragon?" asked Hiccup.

Lucia only nodded and Hiccup went to let the Nightmare out. The Nightmare, like many of its kind, was rowdy and cranky from being stuck in a cage all afternoon. It roared out and tried to lash out at Hiccup. A warning hiss from Toothless kept the dragon in line. But it looked annoyed and angry. Hiccup considered not letting Lucia try to train this dragon. He glanced back at her and saw her firm eyes. She was ready.

"Oh I hope I won't regret this." Hiccup mumbled.

He stepped aside to let Lucia come forward. The Nightmare hissed and focused towards Lucia. The dragon's eyes were bright and glaring at her. But Lucia stood her ground and slowly went up to the dragon.

The hot tempered Nightmare suddenly decided it was not going to cooperate. It hissed and breathed out a jet of flame, roaring and snarling. Hiccup ducked, narrowly missing the flames. He saw the Nightmare go ballistic on the field, hissing and spitting everywhere.

"Toothless!" Hiccup shouted.

Toothless roared and leaped towards the Nightmare, his fangs and claws bared.

"Come on Stormfly!" yelled Astrid.

She quickly leaped onto her dragon and flew in to help out, with Fishlegs and the twins following. As they landed, they saw an amazing sight. When Toothless leaped at the dragon, he was stopped by a blur. Lucia had leaped forward before anyone else and grabbed the Nightmare's horns. She was bucked around in a whirlwind of hot angry dragon, clinging on to dear life. Her necklace banged around her neck, clinking as it hit the dragon's hard scales. Gritting her teeth, Lucia gave a war cry and pushed down on the dragon with brute force, pinning the dragon down. The Nightmare stopped and let Lucia pin it down by the head. Instead of looking angry, it looked contented and gave a gentle purr.

Lucia was panting. Sweat drenched her all over and her body shook from the adrenaline. As the others watched in amazement, Lucia walked forward and patted the Nightmare. But, like last time, the Nightmare acknowledged Lucia, but was not interested for long.

Lucia sighed and looked up at the sky. She suddenly realized the time and began rushing out the Academy.

"Sorry Hiccup, but I have to get home! Mum needs me with the boys. I'll see you tomorrow." she called out as she ran out.

She left them with open jaws and blank looks.

"Uh, what just happened?" asked Astrid.

"Yeah, she just left. That was rude." huffed Tuffnut.

"But you do have to admit, her training technique was amazing. Especially for a novice." said Fishlegs, praising her.

"Come on guys, we should find some more dragons for her to try again tomorrow." said Hiccup who had put the Nightmare back into its pen.

The next day played out almost exactly the same. Lucia came and approached the new group of dragons, and found no connection with them. The dragons either ignored her or just mildly accepted her. After training another Nadder, Lucia sighed and sat down on an overturned bucket, looking depressed.

"Rough day?" asked Hiccup.

"Yeah." Lucia mumbled.

She groaned, rubbing her face, and stretching out her legs.

"I don't think we will ever find a dragon for me, Hiccup. Maybe I'm not meant to have one."

"Don't give up hope Lucia. We'll find a dragon for you." said Hiccup reassuringly.

He gave Lucia a confiding smile and Lucia could not help but smile back.

"Come on, I have a good feeling about the next group."

Lucia came home, without a dragon. She told Hiccup she was not coming tomorrow on account that her mother was going to her father's grave. On these days, she would stay at home to care for her brothers while her mother worked in the morning but spent most of the afternoon at the grave. Lucia did not mind, but she knew her brothers needed to be watched.

That day, she cleaned around the house, doing chores such as washing the clothes and leading the yaks out to pasture. While the boys were playing around inside the house, she was cleaning up and getting lunch ready. Her mother had left a while ago with Flash and Flare and the basket.

Several hours past and Lucia could not help but feel worried. She glanced outside and noticed the intensity of the winds and snow outside. The hours ticked by slowly and intensely in her mind. She began to feel extremely anxious and found herself pacing the house rapidly.

Suddenly, a massive gust shook the house, causing the wood to creek dangerously. The boys shuddered but were warmed by the Terrors and the crackling hearth. But Lucia was thrown into a panic. She rushed to the window and saw that the storm had gotten worse. Her brothers watched wide eyed as their sister started shaking.

"M.. mum…" she whispered.

A spark hit her like a bolt. She rushed to grab her coat, and, after some deliberation, grabbed her spear which stood by the doorway.

"Im going to go look for mum. You two stay here. And you three, keep an eye on them." said Lucia, glaring at the boys and the dragons.

Her intense look made them all nod, too intimidated to say anything back. Lucia rushed outside and ran into the storm.

The snow buffeted and pummeled all around her. The winds were intense and she could hardly see beyond a few feet. Gritting her teeth, she doggedly went forward, heading towards the grave. The path was already difficult, made harder with the pounding storm. All she saw was white shadowy snow in every direction. Lucia ignored her frozen fingers and icy toes, pushing herself forward. She was used to storms, as they often came onto Berk. But this one was unnaturally strong.

As she continued walking a fell screech echoed in her ears. She felt a burst of wind over her head, causing her to pause and duck. Lucia squinted and saw a flying dragon swoop over and land where she knew the grave was. She suddenly felt a boiling anger rising within her. That dragon was going straight to where her mother was. Gripping her spear tighter, Lucia plowed through the snow straight towards the grave.

The cliff was covered in snow and howling winds. If Lucia did not know by heart where the edge was, she surely would have fallen. She looked around, the wind whipping her face and hair, for her mother. But she was nowhere to be found.

"Mum!" she shouted, but her voice was hardly noticeable in the wind.

Lucia looked down to avoid being buffeted by the winds, but continued to look around frantically, gripping her spear all the while. Another roar echoed through the cliff side. Lucia looked around wildly, trying to see the dragon. As she did so, she almost tripped over a stone. She looked at it and realized it was her father's grave. Her necklace banged against her face when she stumbled, causing it to dangle out of her coat. Another roar caused her to jump and grip her spear tighter.

THOOM!

A beat of wings beat over her head. A dragon, about the size of Toothless, landed right in front of her. The dragon looked like a Night Fury, with a rounded head, stubby legs, and massive wings. But it had long brown spiky scales down its back and fur under its neck and chest. The dragon had bright purplish eyes. Its mouth was slightly open, revealing razor sharp teeth and an oddly purple tongue and mouth. Lucia backed up slightly and held her spear tightly. She shook with fear and chill as the dragon came closer and closer to her. It did not seem fazed by the storm, nor was it particularly afraid of her. It gave a loud snuff and looked at her.

"G...Get away!" Lucia shouted.

But the dragon did not seem to notice. A massive gust of wind blew through, across the cliffs. Lucia gripped on to her spear, but the winds blew harder and harder. She looked across and heard a loud rumbling noise. A massive wall of snow was plowing towards her. Lucia widened her eyes, unable to move away from the avalanche of snow. She closed her eyes and prayed as the snow swallowed her.

Freda pushed hard on the wooden door to the house. She was shivering and covered in snow. Flash and Flare quickly slipped in after her and moved out of the way for Freda to close the door. Right as she pulled off her coat, the boys and the Terrors ran up with wide eyes.

"Mum! Mum! Lucia ran out to find you!" the boys shouted over a chorus of screeching Terrors.

Freda gasped and looked around frantically. Lucia's coat was gone and her spear was missing from its usual spot…

Freda ran as fast as she could through the driving snow to the Chief's house. Flash and Flare went with her, doing their best to cover her. She dared not fly for fear of being swept away in the storm.

When she got to the house, she banged on the wood for dear life. Flash and Flare also cried out, hoping someone would hear them. The door swung open and Stoick reached out to grab Freda, who was about to fall over.

"Chief! *gasp* Stoick! *gasp* I...It's Lucia! She… She ran out in the storm. I… I think she was trying to find me…" Freda coughed out.

Stoick widened his eyes. He took Freda to the hearth and set her down while she coughed harshly. Flash and Flare came over to her, trying to support her. Stoick looked outside into the raging storm. It would be too difficult to go out and send a search party. He looked back at her and noticed Thornado getting up from where he was lying down. The dragon looked confident and was ready to head outside into the storm.

"No, Thornado. Freda, the storm is getting worse. We can't look for her now." said Stoick in a commanding voice.

Freda opened her mouth to object, but Stoick's eyes made her change her mind.

"Lucia… oh Lucia…" she sobbed.

"I'll send someone over to watch your boys. You should stay here Freda, until you are ready to go. I don't want you to die of exposure. These storms cannot be underestimated." warned Stoick.

He went outside with a massive coat and Thornado by his side. Freda shuddered and petted the Zippleback's heads. The dragons gave her a sad gentle look.

"Lucia…" she whispered.

Hours later, Lucia woke in a daze. She was numb and weak, feeling raw all over. Opening her eyes, she realized she was surrounded by a large brown tent. A purr made her jump. She looked and realized she was looking at the purple-eyed dragon from before. It had its wings unfurled and was wrapping them around her, like a protective shield. The dragon looked at her with round friendly eyes and gave her a lick. The dragon's tongue was icy cold, but she did not mind.

"Hey there… Thank you for saving me." she whispered, petting the dragon's nose.

The dragon purred again gave a happy look that reminded Lucia of Toothless after he ate a fresh fish. Lucia looked around and wondered what to do next. A hard object scraped at her side. It was her spear, completely intact. Sighing in relief, she took up the spear in her hand. She looked up and saw a cover of snow.

"We're snowed in huh." she muttered.

She knew if she started digging, the whole thing would collapse on her. So, she went over to the side and began digging at the snow with her spear. As she did so, she began to wonder about her mother.

"I hope she found shelter somewhere…" whispered Lucia

Lucia knew there was no way for her to save her mother now, unless she dug herself out. So she kept calm and continued digging, focusing on her task. The dragon gave a curious growl and lowered its wings. Even though the wings kept out the snow, the snow was so hard packed that the structure stayed, making a sort of igloo.

"Do you think you can blast it?" Lucia asked, pointing at the small indent she made.

The dragon gave her a confused look. She opened her mouth to mimic a blast, and the dragon understood. The blast was blue, rather than red fire, and formed more ice than there was before.

"Woah! Ice blast!" said Lucia in surprise.

The dragon gave her a confused look, but she petted his head, reassuring the dragon.

"Its ok. I didn't realize you didn't breath fire. Do you think you can dig us out?" she asked.

When she started clawing the ground with her spear, the dragon understood and helped her with its stout arms. With the dragon's help, they got through in no time. They broke through and found an empty dark tunnel.

"Huh? Where did this come from?" Lucia wondered.

She crawled into the tunnel and the dragon followed her.

The cavern was narrow at first but soon opened up to a massive cavern. The cavern was dominated by a huge ice crystal that took up most of the center. The crystal was illuminated by glowing moss that hugged the walls of the cavern. But what was most mysterious was the small shrine in front of the crystal. It was a setup of two sticks in an X shape with a coat draped over them. A small stone stood in front of it with words. Lucia cautiously went over to it, but was suddenly pushed over by the dragon. She nearly fell.

"Hey! Watch it!" she yelled.

But she noticed the dragon purring and staying near the shrine, appearing like a guardian. Lucia was bewildered.

"Why are you guarding that stone?" she asked.

She went up and took a look at the stone. Surprisingly, the dragon did not mind and in fact looked pleased that she was looking at it. She read it =

" _The Land lies north, Spearpoint rises from the shores, Our Father's name… I shall go there - Thoronir Geirsson_."

Lucia gasped.

"T...That's my father!"

Lucia examined the shrine. She pulled off the coat and noticed a carving of a dragon on the ice cavern that was hidden behind the coat. It formed the family crest.

Lucia stood at it in shock. She looked at the stone again and back at the dragon carving on the ice. It seemed so familiar to her. Then she glanced at the purple-eyed dragon at her side. She looked again at the carving.

"It's the same! The same scales and furry underbelly! This is you!" said Lucia, looking at the dragon.

The dragon gave her a blank but friendly look. Clearly he couldn't say anything and she wasn't going to get any answers from a silent dragon. She figured her mother may know more… But first she needed to get out. She took up the coat and draped it over her. It wasn't ruined, surprisingly, and gave her an extra layer.

"Now how do we get out of here?" she mumbled

She looked around, but the dragon had other ideas. He got up and walked down past the crystal.

"Hey! Wait up!" she shouted.

She followed the dragon to a snow wall. He was digging at it with his strong claws. Lucia helped it out with her spear. The two together broke down the wall and fresh icy air flooded in. Lucia gasped as bright sunlight shined in. The storm was over and they were free.

She stepped out and looked around. They were on the other side of the cliffs from where her father's grave was. The cavern must have been under the cliffs and through the other side. The skies were clear, so Lucia figured they could fly off. She went up to the dragon and petted his head again, causing him to purr.

"You want to give me a lift?" she asked.

The dragon knew her intention and knelt down so she could mount his back. His hard scales were sharp and pointy, but they flattened nicely, giving her a spot to sit. To a normal person, the dragon was icy cold to the touch, but Lucia did not notice the cold.

"Ok! Let's go!" she shouted.

The dragon roared and leaped up to the skies. The dragon spread its wings and flew with ease and grace. His flight reminded her of Toothless and the angry Skrill that attacked Berk. This dragon was streamlined and glided with ease. The thrill of the flight was exhilarating. Lucia could not help but smile and laugh as the dragon flew. Now she knew why Hiccup and the Riders loved to ride. It was fun!

They flew swiftly and soon Lucia saw her house.

"There! Land there." she said, pointing.

The dragon roared and landed with a soft *thump!* on the snow. The door swung open and Astrid with Stormfly, the boys, and the Terrors rushed out.

"Lucia! Lucia!" the boys shouted.

As soon as she got off the dragon, the boys jumped on her and she was mobbed by little boys and Terrors. The purple-eyed dragon gave a bewildered and confused look. He had never seen so many little moving things before.

"Hey! Hey!" she shouted.

Everyone was very relieved she was back.

"Lucia! Your mother said you ran out to find her." said Astrid, looking concerned.

"Y...Yeah. Hang on! Where is she? Is she safe?" asked Lucia frantically.

"She's fine. She's over at the Chief's house. Stoick was worried she was getting sick or something. So he kept her at his house and sent me to take care of your brothers" said Astrid

Lucia sighed with relief and smiled as her brothers hugged her tightly.

"Thanks so much Astrid." she said with a grateful smile.

Astrid nodded. She glanced at the strange dragon but said nothing. The dragon did not attack nor did it do anything threatening, so she assumed Lucia trained it.

"I'm glad you're safe. I'm going to fly back and tell them you're back."

Astrid mounted on Stormfly and flew to Stoick's house.

Their mother rushed back as soon as she could. When she saw Lucia in the house, safe and sound, she rushed over to hug her. She was crying tears of relief and hugging Lucia, holding her for dear life.

"Oh thank the Gods! Lucia… Lucia…" she crooned.

Lucia buried her face in her mother's shoulder. She knew her mother wanted to hang on as long as she could, so she did not mind. Hiccup and Stoick were also in the house. While Stoick looked on at the two, Hiccup was more interested in the strange dragon.

The dragon and Toothless sniffed each other, but showed no signs of hostility.

"Huh. You two look alot alike. You even have fins on your tail, like Toothless." Hiccup noted.

The dragon spread its wings and gave a soft yawn. The dragon's posture reminded Hiccup so much like Toothless that the dragon looked like a brown furry version. It was also a bit larger than Toothless with more of a bulkier build. Hiccup had brought with him The Book of Dragons, after Astrid told him about the strange dragon. He was flipping through and looked at the Strike Class dragons.

"Ah! Here it is!" said Hiccup.

Stoick, Lucia, and Freda turned to look at him. Lucia came over to look over his shoulder.

"This dragon is… a Woolly Howl. A Strike Class dragon known to appear like it's covered in fur, but it is actually covered in scales, even the underbelly. It is known for its ice breath." read Hiccup.

"Yeah, he shot ice earlier, when we were in the ice cavern." said Lucia

Everyone looked at her, so Lucia sat down to tell them the whole story.

"This is the coat I found, mum. Was it father's?" she asked

Her mother looked shocked and began to finger the coat. She found an embroidered Berk crest on its arm.

"Yes… This… I made this coat for your father before he… before he left. Why didn't he take it with him?" she wondered.

"I found it in the cavern with a stone. It sounded like he was looking for something." said Lucia.

Lucia told her what the rock said, but her mother had no idea what he meant.

"But it looks like this dragon has something to do with it." said Hiccup, remembering Lucia's description of the dragon ice carving on the crystal.

"Yeah." muttered Lucia.

The dragon purred and came to Lucia's side.

"Maybe it was meant to be… Right?... Frostfall?" Lucia asked, smiling.

The dragon gave her an awkward smile and put its head on her lap. Lucia smiled and petted Frostfall affectionately. Everyone smiled too. They were happy she found herself a dragon. Hiccup leaned over to pet Frostfall too. Frostfall saw his hand and playfully licked him. Hiccup jumped back as he felt the chill.

"Ow! That's cold. His tongue is like wet ice." said Hiccup, wincing.

"Really? I don't notice anything." said Lucia.

Everyone else tried and patted the dragon's scales. They all said Frostfall was freezing cold, except Lucia.

"Hmm… You are like your father… Never noticed the cold either." said her mother.

Lucia suddenly laughed.

"I… I finally found one… A dragon partner." she smiled.

Frostfall looked at her and gave her a lick. She gave him a hug. With a dragon she can do so much more… even find her father.

In the winter, most things go away. Plants die off, animals hide, and winter storms sweep through, covering everything in snow. But sometimes, in winter, some things appear again from the ice.

That year, I found my father's final words, carved in a stone, in a hidden cavern. Now my drive to find him is even greater. I can feel it. He's alive… out there somewhere.

But now I don't have to be alone… Because of my friend…

Frostfall.

Thank you for being here for me.

Notes = Lucia's family name Geirsson comes from the Old Norse word "geirr" meaning spear. Frostfall is a Woolly Howl, a dragon only found outside the movies and TV episodes. Lucia's interaction with the Terrors is based on sheep herding. Lucia really does not feel the cold as much as other people do. This is why she is able to walk around in the storm.


	2. Frozen Heart

Note - This story occurs just after Dreamworks Dragons: Riders of Berk (Season One), spoilers for HTTYD 1, The Gift of the Nightfury (Highly recommend watching this one before reading this story!), and Riders of Berk.

Things have changed since I have found my dragon partner in the ice cave.

I never knew how freeing having a winged ice blasting friend would be, and now I cannot imagine life without him.

But things are still bothering me. What does the message on the rock mean? Is my father trying to tell us something? Why did he leave it there without telling anyone?

I am not one for words but for actions, and I will find the answer.

Lucia Geirsson

Woooosh!

The dragon and rider soared over the snow ladened treetops at high speeds, spreading snow in all directions. Leaning in close to Frostfall, Lucia was gripping onto her dragon's neck as tight as she could. They were having their daily morning flight over the wilderness nearby Lucia's home. Lucia shouted in excitement as Frostfall roared in pleasure. They loved their flights. It was the only time they could spend time just enjoying the rush of icy cold air before having to land among the close huddled buildings of Berk.

"Come on Frosty, we need to get back." shouted Lucia, who glanced up at the sun.

It was a busy day today. Stoick had called everyone to meet at The Great Hall, for today was the annual dragon migration. Frostfall gave a small snort of annoyance and Lucia gave him a small pat on the head. He did not like to land. If he had his way, he would have wanted to fly with Lucia for the rest of their lives. Frostfall started to turn, flapping his massive brown wings in steady beats, away from Berk. But a sharp nudge from Lucia's foot stopped him.

"We haven't had breakfast yet, Frosty. I know you want to fly, but I also know you're

hungry." Lucia noted.

Frostfall felt his belly grumble and gave a small growl. He turned towards Berk and flew steadily to The Great Hall. Lucia laughed and leaned in. She did not have a saddle yet, so it was difficult to keep herself on Frostfall without scratching her legs on his scales. Hiccup tried to fit a saddle on Frostfall, but Toothless' saddles were the only ones that matched Frostfall's body shape. Because Toothless' saddles were designed for the Night Fury, they were too slim for Frostfall's bulkier body. Hiccup was still trying to make a saddle that both fit Frostfall and did not interfere with a Woolly Howl's fur-like scales. As Frostfall approached the center square of Berk, he angled himself onto his back feet and landed as easily as Toothless would. He landed with a thump, and Lucia slipped off his back. Frostfall shook his head, his scales rattled as they scraped against each other. Lucia dusted off extra snow from his head and her shoulders.

"Hey! Lucia!" shouted a voice.

Lucia and Frostfall turned their heads towards the voice. Hiccup came up to them with Toothless bounding up behind him. The two dragons met and began sniffing each other in a friendly manner.

"Morning, Hiccup. Do you know when the meeting is going to happen? Frostfall

and I are starving." Lucia asked, while flexing her knees.

Hiccup nodded.

"It's going to start pretty soon. Once my dad gets here. He had to help out with some sheep again."

Hiccup noticed Lucia bending her knees and looked at her with concern.

"Is riding Frostfall hurting your legs too much, Lucia? I'm still working on the saddle. It's taking much longer than I thought to find a material that won't wear out from Frostfall's scales."

Lucia shrugged.

"It's fine Hiccup. I rather wait for you to come up with a sturdy saddle anyways. Frostfall and I ride pretty hard. I should probably toughen up my legs anyways, incase I ever have to ride bareback." Lucia explained, practically.

"Well whatever you need Lucia, just ask." reminded Hiccup.

Hiccup was always impressed by Lucia's toughness. He remembered how she pinned a Monstrous Nightmare with her brute strength during dragon training and how she survived one of the worst winter storms they had seen all season. Hiccup had never met her father Thoronir Geirsson before, but he heard stories from his father and Gobber about how stubborn and tough he was.

A strong wingbeat overhead made them look up. The silhouettes of a Monstrous Nightmare and a Deadly Nadder came closer as they landed. Hookfang and Stormfly easily landed and their riders dismounted. Astrid patted Stormfly on the beak while the Nadder stretched her brilliant wings. Snotlout tried to do the same, but Hookfang snapped at him before venturing off towards some vikings carrying barrels of fish for the meeting.

"Hookfang! Get back here! Those aren't for you!" Snotlout shouted as he ran after his dragon.

"Hopefully he doesn't eat all the fish like last time." Astrid sighed, rolling her eyes.

Hiccup went up to Astrid and Toothless turned his attention to Stormfly, greeting her like the way he greeted Frostfall.

"Good morning, m'lady." Hiccup smiled.

"Good morning Hiccup, Lucia. When's the meeting going to start? I made sure Stormfly and I woke up extra early for our morning flight and to make it to the meeting." Astrid asked.

"In a bit. Once my dad's done rounding up the sheep. I think Fishlegs is helping him too. I saw him and Meatlug flying towards the fields not too long ago."

"Uh oh, you don't mean Sven's fields do you? I saw the twins around there too. I thought all the sheep were rounded up so I didn't think they were up to anything. Maybe one of us should go take a look."

Hiccup groaned.

"Of course it had to be them. Astrid, do you mind chasing after them for me? I want to make sure the meeting is ready." Hiccup asked.

He knew it was a lot to ask of Astrid, especially since she just got back from a flight. But she knew where they were and he was…

"Lucia! What about asking Lucia to do it?" Astrid interjected.

Hiccup was taken by surprise.

"Lucia? Wha…" Hiccup stammered.

"Hey! Lucia, can you come here for a second?" Astrid called.

Lucia, who was partially engaged in their earlier conversation, and mostly engaged in giving Frostfall belly rubs, looked towards Astrid. Frostfall was rolling around happily like the way Toothless did in dragon nip, but this time on the icy ground. Toothless and Stormfly gave the snow wary looks. It looked like fun, but they did not want to freeze on the frozen ground.

"Yes, Astrid? Did you need something?" Lucia asked.

"Yeah, can you do us a favor and go to Silent Sven's fields and check on the twins. I think they were up to something fishy over there. It would help Stoick out." Astrid explained, as nicely as she could.

Even to Hiccup her tone sounded faked, and Lucia caught it. Lucia curled her nose and gave an icy look that made Astrid shudder slightly. But Astrid (being Astrid), stood her ground. It was Lucia who gave in first and shrugged. She went over to Frostfall, who rolled over from being on his back for belly rubs, and mounted on him.

"Be back in a bit." she said shortly, and left.

Hiccup scratched the back of his head nervously. He looked at Astrid who was watching Frostfall and Lucia fly off.

"Let me guess, you still want to recruit her." Hiccup sighed.

They had been wanting to recruit Lucia ever since she partnered up with Frostfall. She had proven herself to be a capable dragon rider and her skills as a lancer were well known in Berk. Hiccup and Fishlegs were particularly interested in Frostfall, and had hoped that when she joined the Riders, they would be able to examine a Woolly Howl more closely. Astrid, meanwhile, had acknowledged Lucia as a skilled warrior and dragon tamer. Everyone was interested in having her join, but she declined. Time and time again, Lucia refused to join, no matter how many times they asked. Hiccup had decided a while ago to just leave Lucia alone. He did not want to intrude on her, but the others stubbornly continued concoct ways to recruit her. Just the other day, the twins had the absurd plan of kidnapping Frostfall and keeping him prisoner until Lucia agreed to join, until they realized Frostfall had ice breath.

"She can really help us, Hiccup." Astrid explained.

"But I cannot force her. You know she has other responsibilities with her family. Plus I don't want to get on her bad side."

Astrid rolled her eyes. She knew what Hiccup was talking about: old viking treaties and alliances. Lucia's father was a renowned warrior of Berk, with his ancestry spanning back to the beginning of Berk's founding. Geir, the founding ancestor of Lucia's name Geirsson, was one of the original founding vikings. Lucia was the latest descendant of Geir, and it showed. No one in Berk had better lance and spear skills than she did. But Geir was known to be an independent man who did what he wanted on his own terms, resulting in past conflicts, and it showed in his family. Thoronir's brother, and Lucia's uncle, the warrior Ulf Geirsson renounced his loyalty to Berk and became a Berserker. Stoick had warned Hiccup about the Geirsson family's reputation, and advised Hiccup to be on Lucia's good side.

"If we don't test her now, how can you trust her in the future, Hiccup?" Astrid asked.

She was skeptical of Lucia. She was familiar with the Geirsson family, and she could not see why Hiccup would not want to keep a closer eye on Lucia.

"I want to work with her Astrid, really I do. But I don't want to push her to do something she doesn't want to do. The Dragon Riders were formed to keep the peace, not force people who can ride dragons to be used for every little thing around Berk. Lucia has other priorities and I think it's better to negotiate than to force. She's been really useful either ways. The other day she helped out when that Gronkle was going crazy over the dragon nip, remember?"

Astrid sighed, but nodded.

"And we didn't even ask her. She just got up and helped out. I just think we need to give her some space."

Lucia and Frostfall glided over the houses of Berk towards Sven's fields. Everywhere, vikings were preparing for the annual dragon migration. Children gave their last tear filled hugs with their dragons, and adults were preparing baskets of fish for their dragons as a parting gift. Many were already on their way to the Great Hall. Lucia patted Frostfall on the head. They only met each other a few weeks ago, and yet it felt like they had been together for their whole lives. Frostfall gave a small purr when Lucia petted him and she smiled. But secretly in her mind, she was sad. She knew Frostfall would want to go with the other dragons during their migration season, but she did not want him to go.

Eventually they got near Lucia's house. Her mother was flying on Flash and Flare's back with the twins sitting on each of the Zippleback's heads. The boys were laughing in delight as they clung on as tight as they could. Flash and Flare were remarkably patient with them despite the loud noises they were making. Their mother had strapped them tightly to their seats to ensure they did not decide to jump off. The three Terrible Terrors, Stripe, Stumpy, and Blue, were flying beside them. When she saw them, Lucia's mother Freda waved. Lucia turned Frostfall around so that she was next to her mother.

"Did you forget something, Lucia?" her mother asked over the wingbeats of the dragons.

"Astrid wanted me to check on Sven's sheep. She's afraid Ruffnut and Tuffnut are up to no good again." Lucia called.

"Those twins again? Those two would level Berk in a resounding explosion if they had their way. Well, make sure you don't miss the meeting, dear."

Flash and Flare flew off towards the Great Hall, while Lucia and Frostfall turned towards Sven's fields. They quickly flew over to find Stoick and Gobber trying to round up the sheep. Thornado stood at the edge of the field to ensure the sheep did not escape from one end, while Gobber and Stoick took the other open ends. Sven was doing his best to calm the sheep down. The sheep appeared spooked and jittery. When Frostfall flew over, Stoick looked up and waved at her. Frostfall and Lucia landed next to him.

"Ah Lucia, did Hiccup send you? We could really use the help." Stoick asked.

"No, Astrid did. She told me she saw the twins earlier today around here. Maybe they are up to something?" explained Lucia.

Stoick gave a long winded sigh. He was fed up with those two and their ridiculous pranks.

"I sent Fishlegs into the forest to look for any strays. Maybe he has found them. And if you do find them Lucia, make sure you send them back to me."

Lucia nodded and mounted back on Frostfall towards the direction Stoick sent Fishlegs. As she flew over, Lucia noticed a few damaged fence posts here and there. Keeping her sharp eyes open, she looked for signs of any disturbances. They eventually found Fishlegs who was hovering with Meatlug with a sheep in her claws.

"Oh! Lucia! Did the chief send send you? I think I got all the runaway sheep. At least I think I did." Fishlegs called.

Meatlug stopped and hovered in place so Fishlegs and Lucia could talk. Frostfall and Meatlug were particularly friendly with each other and the two appeared happy to see each other.

"Astrid sent me. She said she saw the twins flying over here earlier. And I noticed there are some broken fence posts around here." Lucia explained.

Fishlegs looked down and saw the fence posts.

"Huh that's strange. I didn't see them like that before…"

Suddenly some rustling caught their attention. The two turned towards the woods where they could have sworn they saw the glint of a vikings helmet and the long whip like tail of a Zippleback.

"Those twins again!" Fishlegs groaned.

Lucia tapped Frostfall and they were off, gliding towards the bushes. Fishlegs and Meatlug were nearly spun like a top as Frostfall zoomed past. Frostfall flew low enough for Lucia to grab one of the broken fence posts. Even though it was broken, it was still a good two feet long. It was sturdy but sized enough for Lucia to grip it in her hand. She pulled out a knife and whittled the end of it while Frostfall glided into the woods.

The twins lay hidden in the bushes with Barf and Belch laying close by them. They did not think anyone would find them, or know that they were stealing sheep to practice with their new sheep launcher. That was until they heard the wingbeat of a dragon.

Frostfall landed and gave a mighty roar at them, blasting cold air as he did so.

"Ah! They spotted us!" Ruffnut shouted.

The twins and the Zippleback got up and tried to scramble into the woods. Lucia quickly accessed the situation and pointed at Barf and Belch to Frostfall, who growled in agreement. She lept off her dragon and landed easily as Frostfall lept at the fleeing Zippleback. Lucia arched her arm back and aimed with the makeshift spear. Her shot was straight and true. With a solid thud, Tuffnut was pinned to the trunk of a tree by his coat.

"Hey Hey! No fair!" he shouted.

Lucia crouched and leapt at Ruffnut while Frostfall successfully pinned Barf and Belch. Ruffnut gasped as she found Lucia's sharp eyes glaring at her angrily.

"Ah! What the?!" Ruffnut gasped.

"Explain yourselves!" Lucia snarled.

She looked angry, angrier than what the twins knew her for. They had screwed around before and they had been chased by Lucia before, but she was much angrier than usual.

"We were just borrowing a few sheep for our launcher. Nothing that serious." Tuffnut said, crossing his arms.

"Besides, these sheep are going to the good of the village anyways. We were using them for a brand new method of village defence." he added.

"Except that we may have broken a few fences along the way." Ruffnut reminded.

"Yes, but for the good of the village." Tuffnut reminded.

Lucia was not convinced.

"I'm going to report you two to Stoick. He'll know what to do with you two."

Several hours later, the group finished up and arrived at The Great Hall. Everyone in the village was there and waiting for them. As Stoick strode into the Hall with the dejected twins following behind him, and Thornado following from behind. Everyone parted way so he could reach the chief's throne. He pointed towards a corner near his throne.

"You two meet me there after we are done." he growled.

The twins and their dragon quickly scrambled to mingle amongst the crowd. Lucia, Fishlegs, and Gobber came into the hall and took their positions. Gobber, being Stoick's second in command, went up to stand near Stoick. Thornado stood at his other side. The Great Hall was festive, decorated with wreaths of holly and decorated pine trees. But the cheer in the Hall was not so lively. Although the vikings knew their dragons would return, many were still unhappy. Children cried as they gave their dragons tight hugs, in hope they would not leave. Stoick could see the unhappiness of his people, but also the anxiety in the dragons. They wanted to go.

"Vikings, Dragons." Stoick began.

"I know today is a sad day for some. But remember, Snoggletog is a season of cheer, not sadness."

Stoick turned towards Thornado and gave his Thunderdrum an affectionate pat. He went to Thornado's side and removed his saddle. Thornado shook himself, rattling his scales, and gave Stoick an affectionate growl. The other vikings followed suit, removing dragon saddles and giving their friends one last hug. Astrid slowly removed Stormfly's saddle.

"Safe travels, Stormfly." she murmured while Stormfly gently preened Astrid's hair.

Lucia turned towards Frostfall, who was looking longingly out the Hall doors. He was ready to leave. Seeing everyone ready, Stoick waved at the vikings near the doors.

"Come now, let's give our friends a proper Berk farewell."

Everyone went outside. The dragons came forward and stood excitedly in front of the Hall. Toothless gave a purr and stayed near Hiccup's side.

"What? You don't want to go?" Hiccup asked.

Toothless glanced at Stormfly and Meatlug, but stayed his ground. He had refused Hiccup's new tail last year and this year was the same. There was no reason for him to leave this time.

Lucia's mother, Freda, was the only other viking with a dragon by her side. Flash and Flare had refused to leave her, even last year when the vikings first discovered dragons migrated during the winter. It was as though the Zippleback had resolved to stay near her for as long as she needed them. The boys, however, sobbed as the family's Terrible Terrors joined the leaving group.

Lucia gave Frostfall one last hug and he gave her a wet cold lick. She did not expect to be emotional, but a few tears came down cheeks. Thankfully, Frostfall's tongue caught the tears before they were noticeable. It was cruel that she only had a few weeks with Frostfall, but she knew it was not just her happiness but her dragon's happiness that was important in the end.

As though on cue, a flock of wild dragons flew over Berk, going towards their migration grounds. The Berkian dragons spread their wings to join them. The vikings cried and cheered as their dragons left, wishing them safe travels. Fishlegs sobbed, hugging onto Snotlout, as Meatlug gave him one last look. Snotlout, trying not to be strangled by Fishlegs, gave a Jorgenson war cry to Hookfang. The twins waved, trying to shout louder than the other to Barf and Belch. Astrid stood next to Hiccup and Toothless, giving one last wave to Stormfly. The dragons left, one by one, until most were all gone. Lucia stood at the edge of of the vikings. She was trying to convince Frostfall to leave. He was anxious to go, but did not want to leave Lucia behind. Tugging on her coat, he wanted her to go with him.

"No, Frosty. You need to go on your own." she said firmly.

Frostfall was determined, but Lucia's tone made him hesitate. She reached out and gave him a gentle rub on his scales.

"Go on with them." she smiled.

Finally, Frostfall let go. He was the last dragon to leave.

Even though there were no dragons around, the vikings were still getting ready for Snoggletog. This year, after knowing the dragons will return, the Berkians were more determined than ever to make this year's Snoggletog a better one. They wanted to have a massive celebration this year, ready for the dragon's return and the arrival of more baby dragons. Last year they were underprepared. Baby dragons were sleeping in every warm nook and cranny they could find and fish supplies were dangerously low. This year they were better prepared with new barns and plenty of fish stored. The next day, Hiccup was wiring a new water defence mechanism onto one of the new barns. They had one too many fire accidents last year. He was not as upset as the other vikings, since Toothless was with him, but he knew how everyone felt. It was strange last year without Toothless, like he had lost another extension of himself. As he hammered away, he noticed Astrid entering the barn.

"Good morning Astrid." he called.

"Morning Hiccup. Hey have you seen Lucia anywhere? I wanted to talk to her." Astrid called.

Hiccup stopped his hammering and climbed down the ladder he was using.

"You wanted to see Lucia? Uh, I haven't seen her. Have you checked at her house?" Hiccup asked.

"Yeah I did, this morning. She wasn't there." Astrid sighed.

"Uh, why did you want to talk to her?" Hiccup inquired.

Astrid gave him a look.

"I wanted to apologize to her."

Hiccup looked surprise, until he remembered how Astrid made Lucia chase after the twins. In reality, he knew where Lucia went, he just did not want to tell Astrid. Especially after she made him promise.

"Did you try near the Great Hall?" Hiccup asked.

Astrid gave him a funny look. She knew something was up.

"No, but I'll stop by to take a look."

She slipped outside the barn and ran towards The Great Hall. Vikings everywhere were setting up decorations and stocking up for the winter. It took Astrid a bit longer than normal to reach The Great Hall. She was used to Stormfly giving her a quick lift there in seconds. The doors were wide open for anyone to enter. Even though it was morning, there were few vikings hanging around. Most were outside, taking advantage of the rare morning sun that day. But inside, Astrid found Lucia sitting at a bench reading from a massive book. She was taking a few notes on some scrap paper next to her. Astrid went up to her.

"Hey, Lucia." she said.

Lucia looked up in surprise.

"Astrid? What are you doing here?" Lucia stammered.

She had told Hiccup especially that she did not want to be disturbed, especially by Astrid.

"I just wanted to apologize for the other day. I… I shouldn't have pushed you." Astrid explained.

Lucia was pushing some of her notes away. She just shrugged.

"Apology accepted, Astrid. Now, I really need to read this."

She turned towards the book again, but now Astrid was suspicious.

"What are you reading?" she asked.

Lucia tried to push the book away, but Astrid grabbed at her note papers. She looked at them and it only took a second to recognize what Lucia was sketching.

"No. Lucia you can't go back there." said Astrid firmly.

"Astrid…" Lucia growled.

Astrid knew. Lucia wanted to go back to the underground cavern she found the day she met Frostfall. It was deemed unsafe and dangerous to enter because of weak foundations, but that did not deter Lucia from trying.

"Lucia! Hiccup and Stoick told you, you can't go back there! It's too dangerous! Without a dragon or anyone, you could get caved in."

Lucia stood up and glared at Astrid, eye to eye.

"It's just a monument Lucia. Besides, you and Hiccup already made a sketch of the rock so you don't have to go back to it. Just let it go."

But Lucia just got angrier.

"It's not just a monument Astrid, it's a message from my father. And I want to figure it out." Lucia snarled.

"I cannot let you go Lucia!" Astrid growled back, "I'll tell Stoick if you…"

Lucia slammed her fists to the table.

"Shut it, Astrid!" Lucia shouted.

The Hall went quiet. Everyone was looking at them, wide eyed. Astrid was speechless.

"Just because you have a father doesn't mean you get to deprive me of mines!"

She grabbed her notes and left the hall, stomping down on the stone floor. Astrid stood in shock. Lucia had left the book behind and Astrid looked down at it. It was an old tome of viking tribes and families. The page Lucia was on was for her family, Geirsson. The pages were decorated with feats of grandeur, of dragon slayers and heroic acts. She had the page turned to the more recent entries, ending with her father. Words were marked with scraps of paper, such as "Spearpoint" and any mentionings of "north". Astrid shuddered.

Hiccup was heading towards the Great Hall when he saw Lucia running past. He kept walking and saw Astrid right after.

"Hey Astrid!" Hiccup yelled.

But Astrid did not respond, and instead continued running. She felt terrible. Perhaps Hiccup was right, she should have left Lucia well enough alone. But she had a bad feeling. Lucia seemed desperate, too desperate.

She kept running until she made it to Lucia's house. She did not see Lucia, even though she was right behind her. Lucia was much faster than she realized. Outside, she found Lucia's mother tending to some yaks and watching Lucia's brothers.

"Good morning Astrid." Freda called.

She went over to a bucket and filled a nearby tankard with milk. With a smile, she gave it to Astrid, who drank it thankfully.

"Thank you so much. Mmm it's so fresh. Uh, have you seen Lucia pass by here?" Astrid asked.

"Oh you just missed her. She just ran inside to get some things and then left. I think she was heading for the woods."

Freda pointed towards the direction she saw Lucia running in. Astrid thanked her again for the milk and ran in the direction Lucia went. It was quite a ways in, but Astrid knew what Lucia was looking for. She found the mouth of the underground cavern Lucia and Frostfall had dug out a few weeks ago. A cavern that led to that mysterious monument shrine. Astrid knew it was weak and could crumble at any time, but she went in anyways. Crawling on all fours, she slipped into the main cavern, where Thoronir's carving was.

The cavern was icy and frigid, despite the fact that it was morning. The shrine stood at the middle of the cavern, but Lucia was nowhere to be found.

"Lucia!" Astrid called.

A sudden rumble made Astrid start. She looked at the entrance and saw the rocks shake. Widening her eyes, she realized it was caving in.

"No!" Astrid cried.

She ran towards the entrance but it was too late. The cave collapsed and she was trapped inside!

Hiccup was worried. He had a bad feeling about Astrid's expression and about the fact that she was chasing after Lucia. Toothless came up to him and gave him a purr.

"Come on Toothless. I have a bad feeling about this."

He jumped on Toothless and flew to Lucia's house, knowing that the two of them were running in that direction. Seeing Toothless landing, Freda waved. She got another tankard of milk and offered it to Hiccup.

"Good morning Hiccup. Did you need something?" Freda asked.

"Yes. Have you seen Astrid or Lucia?" Hiccup inquired.

Freda nodded and pointed in the direction they went. Thanking her, Hiccup and Toothless flew in that direction. Right when he got to the cavern entrance, he saw the cave in.

"That's not good…" Hiccup groaned.

Toothless landed and the two began checking at the rubble.

"Astrid! Lucia!" Hiccup called.

Astrid had curled herself up into a ball to protect her face and neck. Luckily she was unharmed. A faint cry perked her up.

"Astrid!"

Astrid opened her eyes and crawled over to the cave in.

"Hiccup?!" she shouted.

Outside Hiccup heard her faint voice.

"Astrid! Just hang on, I'll go get some help. Don't try to dig out! The rubble is really loose up here." Hiccup warned.

He jumped onto Toothless and flew back to alert his father.

Astrid heard and gave a sigh of relief. She crawled back into the cavern and found Lucia standing next to the shrine.

"What are you doing here?" Lucia asked.

Her eyes were angry.

"I was looking for you. In case you did something stupid." Astrid said, crossing her arms.

"Well, thanks for caving us in. The foundation is weak, you should know that." Lucia scoffed.

Astrid glared.

"Well you shouldn't even be here. It's dangerous and you should know too."

Lucia turned around and decided to focus her attention on the monument.

"Whatever."

Seeing that Lucia was still mad at her, Astrid decided to see if there was a way out. She found the cavern where Lucia and Frostfall had managed to stay in when the avalanche when over the, but there did not seem to be a way out. At that cavern, however, she found additional ice and wooden pillars on the walls. It seemed to have been extended somewhat. More wood pillars were leaning against the wall.

"There's no way out." Lucia said, her voice echoing off the walls.

"Frostfall and I have been trying to reinforce the cavern. But now I don't know if we can keep going." she grumbled.

Astrid went back to Lucia. She was looking carefully around the shrine, examining it closely.

"This is important to me Astrid. But I guess you don't understand. At least your father is alive."

Astrid knelt next to Lucia. She felt even more terrible than before.

"Lucia… I…" Astrid began.

"I… I'm sorry. I… I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."

Lucia looked up at her.

"I know I am lucky to have my father with me. But remember we all lost our fathers when we continued the Dragon War. Lucia, I…"

Lucia put her hand up and shook her head.

"I'm sorry too Astrid. I... I was just so excited when I finally found this shrine. It was like my father had actually come back and it gave me hope. But it's not worth our deaths. It was selfish of me. Frostfall and I could have been caved in and we could have died down here."

Lucia sighed and sat with her arms around her knees. Astrid gave her a comforting arm.

"Hiccup already knows we are down here. He's going to bring back help." she reassured.

The two sat huddled together. The chill did not affect Lucia as much as it did Astrid. Astrid was shivering, rubbing her hands together. Lucia had offered her the outer coat she was wearing, but Astrid refused. Astrid was looking down at her hands when she noticed something.

"Hey Lucia. What's that?" she asked.

Lucia stood up to get a better look at what Astrid was staring at. At the base of the monument was a shiny blue bit. Where Lucia was sitting it was difficult to see. But where Astrid was sitting, which was to the right side of the monument, it was clearly visible.

"Where?" Lucia asked.

Astrid waved for a convenient spear by Lucia's side. Grasping it in her hands, Astrid dug down at the blue bit. A loud clink! echoed in the air. The two looked at each other excitedly. That did not sound like ground or stone. It sounded like something else. The two dug at the spot, occasionally using the spear to chip away at hard ice. Lucia took the spear and made a well aimed strike at a large piece of ice, expertly digging away. Astrid was impressed that Lucia knew exactly what to do and in frozen conditions. After a few more minutes of digging, they finally uncovered a strange object in the ground. It was a dragon egg sized blue stone. At first the two thought it was actually an egg, but on closer inspection, the object was too crystalline to be an egg. Astrid reached out to touch it, but recoiled. It was cold like the coldest ice. Lucia decided to reach for it and even she felt its chill.

"What is this thing?" Lucia wondered.

"I dunno. Maybe Gothi knows?" Astrid asked.

Normally Lucia never wore gloves, but this time she asked Astrid if she had any. Astrid found a spare pair in her coat and gave them to her.

"Maybe I can pick it up now."

With the gloves on, Lucia scooped up the strange object and put it down on the ground. Now that it was above ground, it was obviously not an egg.

"We need to take this back. This… Frostfall and I have been back a few times but I never saw it before."

A sudden rumble made them jump. The rocks blocking the exit shifted and bright fresh air swept into the cavern. Black claws and stout arms pushed through.

"Astrid! Lucia!" Hiccup called.

"Hiccup!" Astrid shouted.

The two called out in relief. They were , Toothless, and several vikings from town opened up the cavern and helped them out. As the exited, Lucia grabbed the strange egg-like object. Blinking in the sun, Lucia gasped as her mother ran up and gave her a tight hug. Lucia dropped the egg-object which landed with a soft thud.

"Oh my goodness Lucia! You could have died! You could have been stuck down there and no one would be able to know you were down there!" her mother shouted hysterically.

Lucia sighed and hugged her mother back. Staying down there, she forgot about her mother and how she would have felt. Nearby, Lucia noticed Astrid's parents hugging her and checking to see if she was alright.

"Lucky Hiccup was following you two or you would have frozen to death in there." said Gobber who lumbered up to Lucia.

"About that Gobber." Lucia sighed. "I… I've been sneaking down here even after Stoick told me not to."

Gobber and Freda were shocked.

"You have been sneaking down here?! Lucia! I thought the chief already told you this place is off limits!" her mother scolded.

"I… I know. I'm sorry. I just wanted to know if father left us something. Some sort of message." Lucia apologized.

Her mother paused and looked pained. Lucia rarely revealed her feelings, having to be the strong core of the family after her father left and her mother's injuries became worse. Freda knew Lucia was particularly close to her father and saw him as a role model.

"Lucia…" her mother whispered.

"But look, Astrid and I found something."

She knelt down and picked up the strange object they found in the cavern. Gobber and Freda looked at it wide eyed.

"Do you know what it is?" Lucia asked.

The adults were as baffled as Lucia and Astrid were.

"Hmm, maybe Gothi knows. I'll take it up to her." said Gobber.

Lucia warned him that it was freezing cold, so cold that Astrid could not pick it up. Because it was so cold, Gobber could not deliver it. So he asked Lucia to take it to his forge so he could put it in a cart to send to Gothi.

A few days later, Lucia sat at the edge of a cliff, waiting patiently. Today was the same day last year when the dragons returned. Feeling the sea breeze on her face, Lucia smiled. Everyone was waiting at the central plaza in front of the Great Hall, but she decided to wait at the cliffs. It was much colder there but she did not mind. Gobber had sent the strange object to Gothi to identify it but she seemed unsure and took it to her hut to investigate further. Either ways, Lucia knew Astrid had found something monumental. Something she would not have been able to find alone. All those days she spent looking around the shrine and it took Astrid, an outsider, to find something she missed. Lucia knew she had to thank Astrid and promised to gift her some extra cheese, some roasted chicken for Stormfly, and maybe a few more promises to patrol around Berk. It was a nice change for Lucia, having friends. She closed her eyes and lay on her back, listening to the waves.

The wing beats echoed above her, sending gusts of wind. A large viking ship sailed overhead, purposely rigged by Hiccup for the dragons to carry their babies back to Berk. Most of the flock already left when a familiar growl and wingbeat caused her to open her eyes and sit up. Frostfall came gilding easily to the cliff. He landed and almost tacked Lucia, licking her excitedly. Lucia laughed and hugged him, ready for the best Snoggletog she had in years.

All this time I believed I could do things on my own.

But I began to realize that I cannot do things by myself.

I have recovered a mysterious object my father wanted to hide.

But I could not have found it on my own.

My ancestors prided themselves for their stubbornness and pride, their solitary nature.

But I have learned, it is better to die with friends.

And even better, friends can save you, even from yourself.

Notes = Lucia does research into her father's message (from Chapter 1) but what it means will have to be told at a later date ;) This series is pretty much going to be an annual series as it is for Berk Grapevine's Snoggletog gift exchange. Apologies for anyone who was hoping for a more weekly or monthly thing…


End file.
